US Sues Two California Cities over Limitations on Gas in New Buildings

On Monday, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against two Californian cities to stop 'local laws that restrict natural-gas infrastructure and appliances in new construction.

This lawsuit is the latest attack by 'the administration on energy policies which seek to limit fossil fuel use to combat climate changes. California, a Democratic stronghold in the United States, has some of the most aggressive climate change policies around the globe.

Republicans, including Donald Trump, have been attacking local Democratic efforts for years to limit gas-powered devices.

In the complaint filed before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by Justice Department attorneys, they alleged that the ordinances passed since 2019 in Morgan Hill and Petaluma in the San Francisco-area violated a law from 1975 that prohibits states and localities from regulating "energy use" of federally regulated products.

The complaint stated that "the natural gas bans are not only illegal but also impose crushing costs to California residents."

Since?2019, there have been dozens of U.S. cities that have passed ordinances restricting?natural-gas hookups. In 2023, a federal appeals court ruled that Berkeley, California could not enforce its 2019 natural gas ban.

Peggy Flynn?, the city manager for Petaluma said in an email, that there was no comment from the city. Morgan Hill officials didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. (Reporting and editing by Nichola Osterman; Nichola Groom)

(source: Reuters)